It’s Friiiiiiday and it’s officially that point in every teacher’s year where we start wondering just how many more days of this do we have left?! I love those sweet kinder babies dearly but I’m also looking forward to my summer at home with my sweet one and only babe. Only a few more weeks MP until we can sleep in and watch GMA together with our coffee and cheerios in bed! Ahhhh…I can hear the cheerios crunching, crumbs falling on my clean sheets, and coffee-almost-spilling-as-you-try-to-grab-it-every-10-seconds. Lol.

See below…Can I get a YES, LAWD!!! Luckily I found this and it make me laugh in my time of crisis this week. #500percent

Happy 1st Birthday Saylor Grace

The weekend before last we drove out to Eagle Mountain Lake last Saturday to celebrate SG turning one. They had a really cute ‘derby’ themed party. MP’s favorite thing was making me chase her back and forth across their pool deck. Good times!

NOT A FAN!!! Usually I post things I like, but this is something that I definitely DON’T like and will be returning to Nordstrom the next time I can muster the strength to go fight the crowd at Northpark.

I tried these out last week and while I initially loved the subtle glow I got, my face proceeded to break out like I’ve never experienced before. Like, bad. I was so pissed and there was absolutely nothing I could do but ride it out. That is very atypical for my face to react like that so this is a HUGE no on my list.

MP has struggled with overly dry skin for a while now. I think she had a tad bit of ecxema also. I was nearly at my wits end until I found out about BC Baby Balm. It’s sort of Aquafor-ish but a little thicker. We’ve been using it every other night for about 2 weeks now and I can tell a major difference. I use the shampoo and body oil also, which I’m liking.

My friend and fellow Mom, Eve, creates the cutest and seriously addicting adult coloring books! Her description below has me cracking up…Hurry up and grab some of these for your next evening wine/color sesh, a bestie birthday gift, or better yet a girls weekend. Perfect!

“It’s 6:30 PM. By some miracle, one of your kids is asleep while the other is watching cartoons in a food coma. Quick! Here’s your chance! Grab some colored pencils and markers, this coloring book, and run to the bathroom (don’t forget the wine)! First, lock the door and enjoy the solitude of private urination. Second, gulp down that wine and enjoy the most relaxing five minutes of your day as you surrender to the quietness and creativity of coloring. Celebrate the humor and frustration that are the highs and lows of motherhood featured in the pages of this book.”

I’m so excited! Dayme and I are linking up today to talk babies, packing for your hospital stay and visitor etiquette aka the “10 minute visit”.

Having a baby?!! Heck yes you are! Now for the much anticipated question of “What in the world should I pack in my hospital bag?!

I’ve read every checklist out there and I’m here to share with you what I took to the hospital and what I WISH I had taken with me. So here we go!

ONE

Your pillow! And if possible bring a pillow case that is NOT white, that way it doesn’t get mixed up with the hospital linens. My pillow is my best friend, well pretty much. A few years ago Josh and I invested in the Coconut Bliss Pillows and oh my gosh I’ve never looked back. This thing is heavenly. I’m not a tempurpedic pillow fan, so I love this one because it has a lot more give to it without losing all of it’s cushion. I’d consider myself Princess and the Pea when it comes to pillows, so if you’ve been searching for the perfect place to lay your head, you may want to try this one.

Coconut Bliss Pillow – Available at Mattress Firm or Amazon

TWO

A blanket. Some sort of soft blanket that reminds you of home. I don’t know about you, but I’m always FREEZING the second I step foot into the hospital. I’m a Barefoot Dreams kinda girl, so if you want my opinion, get the “throw” for your hospital visit and lounging around. I have the “Queen” Size blanket at home and love it, but wouldn’t lug that thing all the way to the hospital. Definitely choose a dark color, and NOT white. Why would you get white? You’re a baby and nothing about that experience screams WHITE! 🙂

Here I am with sister/cheerleader and favorite blanket (that has been discontinued from Brookstone) from home. Sidenote: I spy a Coconut Bliss Pillow!

THREE

Robe/Cardigan. Barefoot Dreams has you covered again. I lived in this baby for a solid 3 months after I had MP and still wear it nearly every day when it’s cool out. I’ve convinced all of my baby-birthing friends to get this cozy cardigan and they have all swooned over how soft and comfy it is. You can wear it over your nursing tanks in the hospital, which makes it easy to slip on and off, especially if you have lots of visitors in and out. I have the Ombre color, like the one below. I would definitely get a darker colored one, even though the ombre white and blue one keeps catching my eye. It runs about $90 and I swear is worth every penny.

FOUR

Button-Up Pajamas. I brought ONE pair (the pair below in pink stripes) to the hospital with me and am so glad I did. The Button-up top with elastic waist on the bottoms were so comfortable and didn’t put any unwanted pressure on my stomach after giving birth. Get your normal pre-preg size, these run pretty loose and comfy.

Button-Up Pajamas from Victoria Secret

FIVE

Nursing Bra.Cake brand is my favorite for sure! My sweet friend Kim let me try hers and it was love at first sight. I would bring at least 2 to the hospital as you won’t be able to do laundry.

Nursing Tank. Some women prefer a tank over a bra so I’m posting both options. I wore this tank in the hospital and found that it fit better than the Target ones. I know it’s more expensive, sorry. But fit is everything. If you’re packing this instead of the bras, I would pack 2. Or one for each day that you’re in the hospital. I wore these tanks with the Barefoot Dreams wrap (pictured above) the entire time I was in the hospital.

Panties. Well you definitely can’t pull off those cute Hanky Panky’s at this point – struggle is sooooo real. So go ahead and grab a few pairs of the cotton Natori’s below. (And by a few I mean one for every day of the week!) I SWEAR they are soft and amazing and fit perfectly and you’ll want to live in them for at least 6 weeks post birth.

SIX

Slippers. I love the UGG flip-flop slippers. They’re oh-so-soft and don’t take up much room when packing. I love the gray, goes with everything and doesn’t show dirt!

Ugg flip-flop slippers found at Nordstrom

Rubber flip-flops. These black Havianas can double as your shower flop and going home shoe if you’re delivering in the spring or summer. You’ll for sure need them for the shower. Oh, the glorious shower after waiting a whole day with all of that junk on you. Nothing has ever felt so dang good!!! I’m a major germ-a-phob and refuse to step foot in a hospital bathroom or shower without something covering my feet. On a personal note – I developed MRSA (the worst kind of staph infection) when I was in the hospital with MP. I was actually hospitalized with it before I became pregnant and I guess this time the hospital germs were just too much for my poor body to handle after giving birth. Can I tell you this is NOT something you want to deal with immediately after having a baby?! The doctors had to wear masks and they even put a sign on MP’s crib. Talk about traumatic. Boo-freaking-hoo.

SEVEN

Bath products. Keep it simple. Face wash, moisturizer, eye cream, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and unscented (non-toxic) lotion. (Look for travel sizes if possible) I’m sure you’d like to bring more, but the truth is – you don’t need to. I listed several options below of products I love and would take with me next time. The cleansing balm is a nice option if you can’t get out of bed…just apply it on your face (without water) and rub in. Then take a warm wet washcloth and wipe it all off. And Wah-lah, you’ve washed your face!

1 – Beauty Counter Body Wash/Lotion

2 – Shampoo/Conditioner

3 – Beauty Counter Cleansing Balm

4 – Beauty Counter Daily Face Wash

5 – R & F Eye Cream

EIGHT

Cozy Socks. I hesitate to put this on here because I really wanted to post the gripped ones that I received as a gift but cannot find them ANYWHERE. I think they came from Nordstrom. Anyways, you need socks regardless and I have some of these soft cozy socks and just love them.

Socks found at Brookstone

NINE

Snacks, bottled water (for husband), gum, and CHAPSTICK!!! If you’re the one packing the bags, make sure to pack some snacks for you and your husband. If you don’t, you’ll be stuck with hospital food. Bleh. Sidenote: Don’t hesitate to throw in your favorite sweet treat or yummy candy.

You so deserve it after all of that hard work!!!

TEN

Pack your Bible and the Baby Book. A sweet friend gave me the idea before I had MP and I am SOOO glad we did this. What to do: Pack Bible and Baby Book in your bag, have your husband give it to the nurses when they take your baby back for foot printing and have them put their footprints inside. I love looking at the footprints every time I go to open my Bible. Beyond special and will certainly add to the prints whenever we have baby number two. Mine looks different than the picture below. We had them put it on a blank page and I wrote her birth stats underneath it.

And finally, pack your patience and know that this isn’t going to be easy…but it’s going to be miraculously amazing. And know that your life is changing for the better and try to soak up every single moment with this precious new life that you carried inside of you for 10 long months. It won’t always be easy, but you will survive and make it thru those first few weeks. People love to give the ‘ol “get ready” and “you’ll see” ohhh and the best is”you ready for this?!” Nope, ignore them. You are ready! As ready as you’ll ever be and what you WILL see is just how amazing being a parent can be. And how it will change you for the better and suddenly you are putting someone else’s life before yours. You’ll get to experience what it feels like to have your heart wanting to literally burst out of your chest because you have so much love for this tiny person. And finally, you are entitled to feel like this is the hardest thing you’ve ever done. Because truthfully it probably will be. But that is ok. Because that makes the rainbow that much brighter on the other end of the storm.

I love this so much: “the water that threatens to be over our head is under His feet.”Hello and can I GET an Amen?

Alright then.

I vividly remember the day/the very moment that we left the hospital. You can’t see MP’s face but shortly before this pic, she was screaming at the top of her lungs, I was sweating and wondering what was about to happen to our lives, and Josh…well he sweats a lot to begin with and was scrambling to get the car, deal with the carseat, and reassure me that everything would be just fine just as he always does. 🙂 Our emotions were in overdrive, I even cried on the way home with crazy thoughts that this was all moving so rapidly and I and I probably yelled at him to slow down and stop driving over 20 mph in fear of our new baby’s safety. Umm. Yes. Why why whyyyyy must we have crazy hormones. Oh well.

But guess what?! We made it home, and we’ve successfully made it thru 17 plus months now with our sweet baby and I can’t imagine our life without her in it.

Ok – now you can get to shopping because time is a tickin’ and that baby will be here before you know it! Chop-Chop Mamacita!

Today I’m excited to link up with Momfessionals and share what “a day in the life” at our house is like. Our days are fast and furious, but we do our best to laugh and embrace the moments because well someday we’ll look back and miss all of this chaos that is “our life”.

6:37 am – But first, coffee!!! No but really. Josh grinds our coffee (yes we are self-proclaimed coffee snobs, I can own that!) every evening and sets the timer so it’s already brewed when we get up. I’d say 6:37 is later than usual for coffee, but since it was raining cats and dogs, and I failed to get up when my alarm went off at 4:46, I enjoyed my little bit of “sleeping in” until 6:00. #HelloMonday

6:56 am – Rain boots, check. This weather has been a little on the crazy side so I’m not going to overthink the Monday morning outfit. Hunter boots it is!

7:06 am – She’s in her normal spot…kitchen floor. And a big YAWN before we get ready to load up the car. Josh packs all of our stuff and then helps us get out the door and in the car. Hello, amazing husband. Side note: This sweet little thing was in bed with us at 4am, not sure why, maybe another molar. But can I really complain?! I think not. Love her so much!!!

7:14 am – We turned the car seat around this weekend and she is loving it! Such a big girl. To add to the Monday list, we have a Yard Party Sign that is being installed this evening. #partyon

7:20 am – Did I mention this is my view every day on the way to school. Perks of downtown living. Something about seeing this skyline every morning makes me smile. Fast forward to 3:30 in the afternoon and there is no smiling, all traffic and I’ll be dying to get home. Ha!

7:49am – And here we have my home away from home. My classroom. I love the huge windows and courtyard view. It may quite possibly be the smallest room in the entire building but the windows would make you believe otherwise. This week we’re learning about plants, growing beans, and starting our Earth Day Unit.

9:13 am– Singing songs, spelling words, doing kindergarten things.

11:04 am – Everyone line up and be still, we’re late for lunch!! #earlybirdlunchspecial

11:59 am– Because sometimes I can become obsessed over the weather. And this week the weather in Texas is cray!

3:26 pm – Headed home after school and watching Bubble Guppies (Don’t judge me!). I already made one mid-day visit to the babysitter to check on this little thing. She definitely isn’t acting like her usual perky self.

3:45 pm – And there you have it…case and point. We now have a 101 degree temp that shortly after this pic went up to 102. Crap. Now to find a sub at school tomorrow. Nothing worse than having a sick miserable baby. Just pure sadness.

5:30 pm – Despite her fever she decided to eat dinner. Chicken, sweet potatoes and asparagus…and I made some chicken noodle soup for her because it’s her fav. Josh cooks dinner for us most nights. Have I mentioned I married the most incredible man on the planet?! He does SO much for us and as a working Mom it makes all the difference to have someone to share in the household responsibilities with. Thank you babe!!! He’s not in the pic because he was on a work phone call. He’s secretly happy he escaped all of my pics today!! 🙂

7:00 pm- Baby is in bed and Dayme picks me up so we can head out to Rockwall to install a Yard Party Sign. Happy Birthday Keegan!

8:00 pm – Phew! Done and done. All in a day’s work…now get me home.

9:30 pm– After showering, and finally sitting down to start my Monday night guilty pleasure, I start to hear crying on the baby monitor. Looks like Southern Charm will have to wait until tomorrow. Time to go rock my sick little babe back to sleep. Sigh.

And there you have it…All in a day’s work !

I can’t wait to read about everyone else’s day. I guess I know what I’ll be doing on my day at home tomorrow.

Good morning and Hallelujah we made it! (to Friday that is) Did anyone else have a real zinger of a week? Just curious. Or has this just become the norm for my life, ha! I should’ve known the week was off to a rough start when I was grocery shopping last Sunday at Central Market with 5 million other people and ran my cart into a sixer of soda and it proceeded to shatter and spray all over the beverage aisle. Omg yes that really happened! Tisk, tisk. I can honestly say that’s the first time I’ve ever done that (and hopefully the last). Josh was super annoyed, let’s be serious. I asked if we needed to pay for it and the sweet lady said “oh honey no, it happens all the time.” I also got some pretty sympathetic looks from the fellow parents around me. At least I thought they were sympathetic, or maybe they were thinking, geez lady pull it together, you only have one kid and I have four stuffed in my cart. Handle.It.

Does anyone else loathe/dread/hate going to the grocery store as much as I do?! Complete grocery store chaos. Put it on my tab!

Feeling like I need pair of these to wear with my cut-offs and tees this summer. I wasn’t sure about them when they first started making a comeback, but I think I’ve jumped back on the Birkenstock train. Loving the metallic colors.

We looooove our Gap Jellies! Grab yourself a pair (or two) and get ready for the cuteness that follows. I got MP a size 5 and they fit true to size. They seem to be comfortable and don’t rub on her feet after wearing them all day. Score!

I’ve ordered a few personalized gifts from the link above and they are just the cutest! She’s located in the Park Cities, you just place your order via FB, and she’ll message you when they are ready for Porch Pick-Up. So easy and it makes the perfect hostess or birthday gift!!!

Disclaimer: The gifts below are not ones that I ordered 🙂 I personally ordered some clear monogrammed coasters (so precious), and large monogrammed Easter Eggs last month. Ah-dorable.

big bow + personalized marker case

Monogrammed Jewelry Holders = Perfect Hostess Gift

Personalized clipboard, bookmark and sunnies.

We have a busy weekend ahead! Swimming lessons, birthday party and a wedding shower, plus we are doing a little Yard Partying as well. The forecast is predicting lots of rain. Dislike.

Coming Next Week!!Dayme and I have an exciting post we’ve been working on to share with you. We have so many friends about to have babies, and since we are still in that season of life, these topics come up a lot. I’ll be blogging about the essentials to pack for the hospital, and D will be talking about the 10 minute visit. Make sure to check back then to get the scoop!

It’s Friday {insert high pitched Yayyyyyy!} I have a hot cup of coffee (with my favorite coconut-caramel Girl Scout cookie creamer) AND Pop and I have the day off. Doesn’t get much better than that! I’m linking up again with Momfessionals and ALizAdventures for another edition of Friday Favorites.

Flash Tats! For the girl who was (Thank you Lord!) too scared to get a tattoo ((but did secretly get her belly button pierced in high school…hello holy wrath of God that shot straight down like a lightning bolt on steroids, aka my Mother when she discovered my secret)) 🙂 Hi Mom! Remember that?!

Wah-lah! Here you have the best summer substitute. These are sooooo cute and thanks to my friend Gwin, I sported a few when we went to Bora Bora and got asked a few times what IS that? What’s the point you ask?! Hello, the cuteness. Slap one of these babies on your wrist, top of your hand, or ankle when you’re at the beach and heading to a fun dinner. Or if you’re feeling extra brave you can sport it with your bikini this summer. Seriously. You’re shaking your head saying, this would be great on a 21 year old but not me…WRONG. Spice it up a little and try putting one on the next time you go out to a fun dinner this spring or summer! And Mom – don’t worry I’ll bring some to our beach trip this summer so even you can try them out. 🙂

You can also get tats to stick on glassware for fun parties and events. I mean, yes please!

This week somehow seemed to fly by. Phew! We had a whirlwind of an Easter weekend. Our cousins invited us to hunt eggs on Saturday and it’s safe to say that MP was a little more than overwhelmed with the extremely large crowd. And ohhh the dreaded and super scary Easter Bunny…Whyyyyyy are kids so afraid of this furry guy? I have NEVER seen MP so upset, ever. She was screaming and shaking with sheer terror when we attempted to get her to take a pic with the bunny – and from that moment on she was eyeing him making sure we steered clear. Ha! Poor baby was so upset! And on another note, we’ve been practicing hunting eggs for a while, but the pressure of the hunt must have gotten the best of her (and her tired little self from getting up so dang early Saturday morning). Someone explain to me why kids like to get up EXTRA early on the one day you can actually sleep in. Anyone?!! On a positive note, she loved the petting zoo. It was so fun getting to hold the bunnies and baby chicks.

After we left the club, we went to have lunch on the patio at Uptown. Thankfully MP let us eat in peace and was pretty much an angel. Imagine that, after a morning of anxiety and fussiness she was happy as could be to bask in the sunlight while Mom and Dad had a much needed ‘rita.

On Sunday, we went to early service and then had brunch at Smoke. Yum!! If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend. The brisket hash is to die for. We were a little sad because our cousins were feeling a little under the weather and on top of it MP’s grandmother came down with the flu, so we spent our holiday just the 3 of us. Even though it wasn’t how we’d planned, it ended up being the best day and quite possibly the most relaxing holiday we’ve had in a long time. Precious moments with our little babe for sure.

Last week I posted a couple pairs of white jeans. Well, lo and behold, I made my way to Nordstrom on Friday afternoon and found what I’d been eyeing. As usual, they fit like a glove with just the right amount of stretch.

Flamingo’s make me happy. So anytime I see them on an article of children’s clothing I feel the need to buy it. Thank you Target for adding to my obsession! We start swim lessons this weekend so why not add another suit to the mix.

That’s all for today! Only a few more hours until it’s officially the weekend. Hopefully you’re enjoying it with the ones you love! Speaking of LOVE, we have dinner club tonight and I cannot wait. Love my girls and so fun getting all of the husbands together for a good ol’ time!

Hello old friend, it’s been a while! There has been a LOT going on around our house the past few weeks,thus my hiatus from the blog world. My goal is to do a separate post for both of our most recent big trips. Three weeks ago we were able to travel to Bora Bora for a magical stay and then following that we went to San Miguel for a friend’s wedding. Bora Bora equals MAJOR bucket list. San Miguel equals immediate weekend getaway {like in your very near future, because it’s that convenient of a destination}. Details on both trips coming in the next couple of weeks.

This week we had a veryunwelcome visitor pay us a visit. Flashback to Monday – I picked up MP after school and she had a few spots around her mouth…and her hands…and her toes. Gasp. In my mind, the the teacher in me instantly knew what it was. Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Just great!! And now that you know that, well you don’t need a play by play of the rest of my week. Teacher Momma’s you know the drill, scramble to get a sub, miss all of your tv shows,oops I mean, stay up late finishing your lesson plans, and then wake up the next day in a panic because you feel like you probably left something out of the plans. And it’s true..these little stinkers really do wait until a holiday to get sick. Hello sweet little girl, your Momma spent lots of time getting your Easter outfits all picked out. Don’t let me down sister, time to get better!!! But in all seriousness, this is a NASTY virus and she is one TOUGH little cookie. She hardly complained even when the blisters looked so painful. My little hero! Thankfully, I feel like we’re in the clear and should be good to go this weekend…bring on the Easter dresses, plastic eggs, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and oh the peeps…my favorite! Don’t worry Mom, I bought my own this year. 🙂

Sometimes you just need your Momma! No pictures please

We decided to bust out the Easter Bunny gifts on our sick day.

And now for my Five on Friday…

White Jeans – I’m on the hunt for the perfect pair. I spotted some at Nordstrom a couple of weeks ago and am kicking myself for not snagging them.

Rag & Bone ‘The Skinny’ Jeans – I love the classic skinny and remember I AM obsessed with all things R&B. I find myself wearing my white jeans mainly during spring instead of summer. In my opinion summer is for maxis, cut-offs, rompers and sundresses – not heavy denim that sticks to your body in 100 degree heat. No ma’am.

Rag & Bone Raw Hem Crop Flare Jean – These little jeans are a real stretch for me. I hated them at first glance, but then I kept going back to them because I’ve seen them everywhere. Now I’m thinking to myself, maybe they are actually pretty cute and I could see myself wearing them a LOT. Dress it up a little with wedges or keep is super casual with your favorite kicks. The jury is still out on this one, but i’m leaning heavily towards YES.

So tell me what you think! Yay or Nay?

Planet Blue! If you don’t know, well now you do. Need something boho, summery, flowy, or beachy? You must look here! There’s a store on Henderson in Dallas, but if that’s too far you can order online. Dresses are definitely pricey but worth it for a trip or fun event. I listed a few things that caught my eye.

I purchased this dress (above) for Bora Bora but ended up wearing it to the Thomas’ Rehearsal dinner in San Miguel. I can’t tell you how much I love it. It will also be the perfect summer’s night out dress. As a size reference, I have a small and it its comfortably. And sidenote: you cannot wear a bra with this since the back is super low, wear the silicone covers {you know what I mean} and you’ll be just fine.

This long maxi dress seems to be a little more versatile and I love that she’s wearing it with Converse. A cute pair of gladiator sandals or wedges to dress it up would be so perfect too. This is definitely on my list – easy to throw on when you don’t have much time to get ready!

And well this one, I just think it’s REALLY cute, and pastel, and floral, and springy…ahh. Add it to the list!

I also have the ‘lip lustre’ lacquer in Sweet Stiletto and it doubles as my every day gloss as well as for a night out.

Hats-Hats-Hats. J. Crew Panama Hat. I have it and it’s the perfect fit. I feel like I end up buying a new hat every year around this time because the summer before my hat gets wet, bent and destroyed while traveling. So here is my 2016 version.

And there you have it! I hope everyone has a very HAPPY EASTER. I can’t wait to watch MP mow down some eggs this weekend, we’ve been practice “hunting” and she’s got it down.

My Mom got her the cutest Resurrection Egg Set like we used as kids and I can’t wait to start the tradition with her.

And as always there is a true reason for the season. HE is RISEN. Amen Amen Amen!!!